Welcome to the Fat Bubble, where every week we dive into the waters of fat culture, and celebrate icons and leaders in fat liberation. And have I got an icon for us today...
In honour of the gorgeous new version of The Little Mermaid coming out this week, I couldn’t really choose anyone else, could I?!
I’ve spoken before how fat is so often used as code on film – a way to give the audience an immediate shorthand for the character’s personality and traits. Here, we receive fatness coded as outsider, evil, overbearing, too too much. Ursula is the baddie, but of course her story doesn’t end there.
Because Ursula resonated with the fat community. She was extra, she was camp, she was too too much! Rumours persisted that Ursula, in the 1989 animation film, was inspired by the drag queen, actor and singer Divine, and this has now been confirmed by the Disney studio. John Waters, who was Divine’s closest collaborator, said about Ursula:
"Ursula was an outsider. She was magic. She had a style that some people might not understand. But she was proud of herself. She was confident. She never questioned her look. She never felt—as other people might have—that she looked weird or anything. She looked beautiful on her own terms."
Ursula gives me thrills because she speaks deeply to me about the resilience of our fat community. We were sparse with icons, so we created them where we could. Recycle, reclaim, reuse – this is the scrappy creativity of groups that are always given not quite enough. So Ursula was remade as a fat icon – one to celebrate. Misunderstood but magical. Beautiful on her own terms. John Waters’ quote resonates with me as a fat person – I hope it could be said about me. If I think back, I know I could say it about my 15-year-old self. I’m sure it will resonate with many who read it, recognise themselves as an outsider, and honour their own style and beauty.
So of course, in the years since the animated film, Ursula has developed a legion of fans. She is a blueprint for anyone who was not gifted pride in their appearance from the world, and instead has had to derive it for themselves. She is a Halloween gift to any fat person who enjoys fancy dress! And, like all the good baddies (Wicked Witch of the West, I’m looking at you), she even has an origin musical! Unfortunate The Musical is back out on UK tour this year (co-written by Daniel Foxx, who I last saw supporting Sofie Hagen at their show, Fat Jokes), so watch out for tickets! And I cannot wait to see Melissa McCarthy’s representation of her in the new film, when I see it asap. Ursula’s allure shows no signs of diminishing – her timeless boldness and absolutely-do-not-give-a-fuck-ness is still refreshing, compelling and necessary.
I have a little Ursula Lego figurine on the shelves in my work room, embodying unapologetic pride, and fun fun fun. A fat icon, a queer icon, a feminist icon, and definitely a Fat Bubble icon.
Until next week, friends, wishing you safety and joy.
Vicky